There are a variety of connectivity products that can be used to connect wire from audio equipment, such as tuners, amplifiers and equalizers, to speaker equipment. The most common types of connectivity products are binding posts, banana jacks and plugs and spring clips. Spring clips are particularly desirable when used with large gauge stranded wire favored by audiophiles for clarity of signal transmission because the clips crush the strands of the wire, placing as many strands as possible in direct contact with a conductor. Connectivity products are typically provided in pairs, one being marked red and the other being marked black, to identify and aid maintenance of proper polarity in the wiring connections between the output component and the speaker component.
Banana jacks and binding posts are often available as modules, i.e., with the red and black connections as separate components. These multi-port modular solutions involve the mating of the banana jack or binding post module into a faceplate port without the use of solder or screws. Despite the popularity of spring clips, spring clips are only available in a few varieties or types, including a duplex type with two connections mated into a common housing. Some of these duplex modules may be mounted onto faceplates to provide a fixed or pre-configured solution. Another spring clip connector is shown in U.S. Publication No. 2004/0266275, which is expressly incorporated herein by reference, and is commonly own by the Applicant. However, there is a need for spring clips to be provided as modules so that screws or other attachment means requiring installation tools are not required to install them onto a faceplate.
The faceplate port and modular insert concept was developed with the idea of producing a flush face when a voice or data jack was inserted. However, with the expansion of products to include modules that protrude beyond the faceplate, the ability to negotiate the module through the port of a faceplate becomes more difficult. Thus, there is also a need to provide a modular spring clip connector that, while protruding from the port of a faceplate, is easy to install and provides a secure connection.